Ambassador and non-resident Ambassador appointments

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Päivi Peltokoski to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Nicosia, starting on 1 September 2024.

Peltokoski will transfer to Nicosia from Ramallah in the Palestinian territory, where she has worked as Head of Mission since 2020. Before that, she was Director of the Unit for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2014–2020. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Embassies of Finland in Moscow and Tallinn and in the Consulate General in St Petersburg.

Peltokoski joined the Foreign Ministry in 1998. She holds a Master’s degree in Political Science.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Titta Maja-Luoto to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Lisbon, starting on 1 September 2024.

Maja-Luoto will move to Lisbon from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where she has served as Director General of the Department for Development Policy since 2021. At the Ministry, she has worked extensively on issues related to development, trade and human rights policy. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Permanent Mission of Finland in Geneva, the Embassies of Finland in Santiago de Chile and Tallinn, and the Delegation of the European Union to Brazil.

Maja-Luoto joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2001. She holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Marja Liivala to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Moscow, starting on 1 September 2024.

Liivala will transfer to the post from the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where she has served as Director General since 2021. Liivala held positions related to Russia in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and in the Embassy of Finland in Moscow in 2008–2012 and 1998–2002, as Roving Ambassador for Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and as Senior Adviser in the Foreign Ministry’s Unit for North Africa.

Liivala joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1997. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences.

At its session on 11 April, the Government appointed Counsellor Tarja Kangaskorte as Counsellor for Foreign Affairs as of 1 September 2024. The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Tarja Kangaskorte to serve as Head of Mission at the Representative Office in Ramallah, starting on 1 September 2024.

Kangaskorte will move to Ramallah from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where she has served as Director of the Unit for Human Rights Policy since 2019. Kangaskorte has worked at the Embassies of Finland in Beijing, Bangkok and Vienna and as Diplomatic Adviser at the office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs in 2013–2015.

Kangaskorte joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2002. She holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Tarja Fernández to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Kyiv, starting on 1 September 2024.

Fernández will move to Kyiv from the Foreign Ministry, where she has worked as Ambassador for Cyber Affairs in the Unit for Security Policy and Crisis Management since 2022. She served as Ambassador at the Embassy of Finland in Beirut in 2018–2022 and at the Embassy of Finland in Nairobi in 2015–2018, and as acting Chargé d' Affaires in Pristina in 2009–2011. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Embassies of Finland in Tel Aviv and Stockholm and in Finland’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York.

Fernández joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1994. She holds a Master’s degree in International Politics.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Anne Vasara to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, starting on 1 September 2024.

Vasara will transfer to her new duties from the Foreign Ministry's Team Finland Export Promotion Unit, where she has served as Ambassador for Circular Economy and Green Transition since 2022. She served as Senior Adviser at the Foreign Ministry’s Department for the Americas and Asia from 2019 to 2022. Her career in the Diplomatic Service includes posts in the Embassies of Finland in Morocco and Washington.

Vasara joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1989. She holds a Master's degree in Social Sciences.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Jaakko Lehtovirta to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Vilnius, starting on 1 September 2024.

Lehtovirta will transfer to Vilnius from Finland’s Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he has served as Head of Mission since 2022. He has previously worked in Finland’s Embassies in Tokyo and Moscow and as Director of the Unit for Russia at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, among other posts.

Lehtovirta joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 2001. He holds a Doctor’s degree in Philosophy.

The President of the Republic appointed Counsellor for Foreign Affairs Leena-Kaisa Mikkola to serve as Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Washington, starting on 1 September 2024.

Mikkola will transfer to her post from the Embassy of Finland in Beijing, where she has worked as Head of Mission since 2021. Mikkola served as Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Africa and the Middle East in 2017–2021 and as Ambassador to Tel Aviv in 2011–2016. She has also worked at the Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU in Brussels and in Hungary and Australia, among other posts.

Mikkola joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1992. She holds a Master of Laws degree (trained on the bench). 

The President of the Republic also appointed Ambassador Theresa Zitting, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Dar es Salaam, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Burundi; Ambassador Kimmo Lähdevirta, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in New Delhi, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to Bangladesh; and Ambassador Ari Mäki, Head of Mission at Finland’s Embassy in Mexico City, to serve as non-resident Ambassador to El Salvador.